Danger around River Road!!!

Government has spent millions in World Bank funding on disaster mitigation works at upper River Road but the project remains incomplete and a serious threat to road users.
Called the River Road Landslips Mitigation Project, $2 million was allocated under the Regional Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Projects to carry out the work.

Last year when the works were undertaken to build a river wall along a small section of the St John’s River, contractors also cut into the cliffside in order to widen the road.

However, the project did not include erecting mitigation systems to prevent dangerous rockfall from possibly injuring persons who might be using the road.

THE NEW TODAY understands that at least one such rock slide occurred on October 7.

The driver of a vehicle going by at the time said the rockfall missed him by mere seconds. No one was hurt.

The contractor for the project was Quinn Construction Company with funding from the World Bank.

Project Consultant Carlyle Glean from Glean’s Construction said that his company recommended that works include Drapery Mesh, to hold the rock in place in order to prevent rockfalls.

The design of the project is based on geotechnical surveys and in the case of the River Road project, rockfall mitigation is required.

Glean said he was informed that there was not sufficient funding for drapery, under the original World Bank proposal.

He directed us for further details to the Project Coordination Unit within the Ministry of Finance but no one could be reached for comment on the issue.

However, Glean said it was his understanding that government is seeking funding under a separate project to erect the safety mesh.